Matthew slid the door closed on he and Heathers bedroom. "Wanna shot?"

He scanned the main room, Ryan was settled into the couch bottel between himself and Christopher.

"What's your posion?" Ryan asked popping open the mini fridge.

" Just what ever your drinking." Matthew sighed, setteling back into the chair.

"Set me up one as well." Joshua commented from the other room.

"So what is your guyses opinion so far?" Joshua asked after taking his shot, he was way to amped up on andrenaline to not speak. Readjusting he PT uniform, the only thing he had in his truck when they called and told him to book it down to this podunk town in louisianna. There was more then just luck in play here. Ryan may have followed a suggestion from his CO's wife about the local hot spot and the the hottie who worked there... Yea and the rest of them where ducks in a pond.

"You recognized the ring she was wearing?" Christopher asked.

"silver fluer de lise filigree." Matthre laughed. "Heather wore hers on the left hand until she got married. Nics was on that finger to."

"Can it all be subconcious memories? Assuming of course she really has no memory?" Matthew looked up, Brandon had slid out of his and Kaylas bedroom.

"It may have been underlying memories triggered by seeing a familiar face." He grabbed Ryans shot glass and downed a round. "But even then it begs the question if she dosent remember why did she come looking for her past?"

"We are going to find out when I meet with the sheriff tomorrow." Ryan scrubbed her buzz cut again, then re arranged the white t-shirt he had been wearing under his uniform. " How did you not realize she was missing?" Every member of that foster home had asked it, and again he asked it to the air. Ryan, Matthew and Christopher had been deployed, out of contact until after she was gone. Heather and Kayla where in school, Brandon an internship Joshua in europe getting ready to start his second tour. Jonathan and Sarah were on their honeymoon. It wasent an exscuse for anyone not to know what the hell happened to her.

"We are going to find out." Ryan grolwed before kicking his legs up on the couch. "For now its time to sleep."

*******

Nicole sighed, the door frame was starting to bite into her arm where she had been leaning for almost an hour. Quinn was sound asleep, his auburn hair curling on the pillow and ragged teddy bear squished under his arm. The phone call was getting closer, she knew it in her gut. He knew they had found her, but he wouldnt know what they spoke about. But this was not going to be fun, never was. She had to get them out of here or he was.....

The phone rang loud in the other room, she flicked off the light for the hallway smiling as the night light lit up. The phone rang again, she was going to let it go to voice mail she knew who it was. Turning on the shower she dumped off her clothes and stepped under the spray, as the hot water hit her lower back she winced. The phantom pain spasamed from her scar, running the loofa over her skin she rolled her neck trying to ease the cramp out of her muscles.

Wrapping the towel around her she dried off, stopping to examine the almost ruined tattoo across the back of her hips. the curling american flag and tribal design spanned to the edge of each side, small symbols and initials now smudged or scarred from that accident. She smiled a little as she let the memories flow in.

“Now this is probably going to sting, and we can stop at any time if you want to take a breather,” the older man smiled sliding black plastic gloves over his henna inspired hands,

“Lets get started. ” She smiled wrapping her arms tight around the chair.

“So each one has a special meaning?” He asked, the needle jutting in and out of her skin, tiny pin pricks firing her nerves.

“The First one, staff of Aesculapius is for my birth sister Heather.” she chewed her lip as he continued the base tribal design across the spine, “The anchor is for my brother in law, hes a naval submariner.” he nodded stopping to blot the blood that had started seeping.

“What happens if they get divorced?” he asked continuing his way across her back, careful to pay attention to her reactions if she needed to stop.

“We were all raised in the same foster home, no matter what i still want a memorium of him.” she smiled. “Then there is the star with a camo bow,” she hissed

“is it going numb yet?” he asked blotitng some more blood.

“Yes, it actually feels good,” she smiled as the adrenaline kicked in. “The star is for Kayla, shes National guard and works with the intelligance division.”

“Quite a complex and patriotic group youve got there.” he smiled and patted her shoulder, “your doing great, keep telling me about them.”

“Next we have the serpant dragon in desert camo, thats for my boy friend who just got deployed, the dragons was his recruiting platoon. He is a communications expert in the army.” she smiled, “then there is a blue cross thats for Kaylas hubby and my friend Brandon, hes a counsoler, Think he thought if he could get us all through highschool alive that course would be a breeze.” She laughed. “Then we have the crossed quill and ink pens, those are for Jonathan and Sarah, they just got married. He is a journalist and shes a editor, always has been a match made in heaven,”

“Then the under belly of a fighter plane and dog print?” He asked, barely finishing the outlines.

“Joshua is a fighter pilot, and Christopher is a Marine. He was always like a guard dog for us.” she traced the design with her finger on the paper “its not degrading or anything hes just always been so protective and bull headed.”

“You must love them all very much.” the artisit grinned “d they know about this yet?”

“Its my surprise for them.” She grinned “when the militants get back from deployment, and the rest come back from their honeymoon or school.”

She jolted back to reality, after 6 and a half hours of work she had driven home, only to be t-boned by an old ford truck smudging some of the ink under her skin while glass left faint gashes in some of the designs. the only unmarred one was a pair of baby booties she had gotten 10 months later when her son was 2 months old, that ink going into her skin had brought back everything, and unfourtunatly been the beginning of what made her life now hell.

She ignored the flash on the answering machine, she needed sleep. Getting them to leave her alone was going to be the final circle of hell in the inferno of her life. Sliding under the covers she flicked off the lights and buried her head under the pillow with the baby monitor.